The FAA has prohibited touch-and-goes, limited other pattern work, and told controllers to stop clearing simultaneous departures from the parallel runways at Centennial Airport (KAPA) near Denver without issuing a notam or updating the ATIS, according to AOPA.
In an email, the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority told tenants that the FAA directed controllers to “immediately cease simultaneous parallel departure operations at Centennial until approved mitigations can be identified to reduce the associated safety risk to an acceptable level.” Among the agency’s concerns are IFR departures conflicting with VFR traffic off the parallel runway.
“While we appreciate the FAA’s role in ensuring safe operations, the sudden decision to ban touch-and-goes and other pattern work without notifying pilots is concerning and appears to be unprecedented,” said AOPA regional manager Brad Schuster. “After nearly a week, the FAA has yet to issue a notam or update the airport’s ATIS with this critical information at one of the nation’s busiest general aviation airports.”
FAA grant assurances require airports to notify pilots promptly of any condition affecting aeronautical use, Schuster noted, adding that the agency should hold itself to that standard. He said the FAA acted “without any discernible stakeholder engagement.”
Other Colorado Front Range airports will absorb the displaced training traffic, Schuster predicted, which “will likely inflame tensions in these communities.”
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